[비즈한국] Once a round is scheduled and someone makes a booking, the first question is always about which golf course it will be. People ask, "Where’s the course?" because they are naturally curious about where they will be playing. Sometimes it might be a course you love, or perhaps a place where you had such a miserable experience in the past that you swore never to return. Then, when you receive that booking confirmation text, you might see the name of a course you’ve always wanted to visit or one with a stellar reputation. You let out an "Oh!" and express your excitement with comments like, "I've been wanting to go there!" or "Thanks to [so-and-so], I finally get to play my dream course," eagerly awaiting the day. You head to the course armed with information gathered here and there—perhaps expectations based on its ranking among the top 100 courses in Korea. Most of the time, these evaluations aren't overly subjective or groundless, so they generally meet your expectations—but occasionally, they don't.
"It’s not as good as I thought..." "Why is this place so famous?" you wonder. You keep waiting for something impressive to appear after a few holes, but eventually, the round ends without you having seen anything special. The green fee was expensive, and the drive was quite long... "Did I have too high of an expectation?" you think on your way home. Then, some time later, another round is booked at that same course. Having already experienced it once, you don't make a huge fuss and head to the course relatively calmly. But this time, it felt different—so different that you wondered if it was even the same place. The thought of "Why is this place so famous?" changed to "Yeah, it’s worthy of its high reputation." It’s the exact same course, so why did it seem so different?
In such cases, the most common reason is the season. No matter how good a course is, the landscape changes once the grass turns yellow. Courses in March or April, before the grass has fully sprung up, are hard to appreciate regardless of how prestigious they are. When the grass turns green, all courses show off their beauty, but top-tier courses have a distinct, more magnificent scenery, and the gap becomes obvious. A good course shines even brighter in a good season. Also, a golf course undergoing major maintenance—such as green aeration or fairway repairs—will look different from one that is perfectly prepared.
So, let's not evaluate a course based on a single visit. Let's go at least one more time. You are bound to see something different when you return.
Then there are golf partners. You heard they were a golfer with great manners. The organizer even said they hoped you two would get along well and that this group could play together for a long time. They also mentioned that since your skill levels are similar, you’d have fun games together. Right, it’s not easy to form a team where everyone’s skill and personality match. You head to the round with the intention of making it work. But strangely, you just don't click. They aren't a bad person—in fact, they seem like a good person—but somehow there’s a feeling of misalignment. They treat golf very seriously, perhaps even solemnly, and they are so cautious with every single shot that the pace of play seems a bit slow. It feels like they are hovering on the edge between a normal player and a slow player. It just doesn't seem like a good fit for me.
I get the feeling that this round might be the first and last time I play with them. However, a little later, I end up in a round with them again. Of course, I wasn't particularly enthusiastic about it. But this time, they looked different. The solemn attitude toward golf that I had seen before now looked like a profound sincerity stemming from a genuine love for the game. Watching the results of their caution on every shot, I even thought to myself, "Maybe I should have that level of caution, too." It was clearly the same person and the same golfer, but they looked different this time. Thinking that I could learn a lot from playing with this person in the future, I am the first to suggest our next round.
Indeed. When you go back, things look different, and when you go back, you see different qualities in people. Of course, this isn't true in every single case, but you cannot judge everything by a single experience. First impressions aren't everything. Both golf courses and golf partners have a "second impression." Let's go once more. Let's play together one more time. And then, judge.
About the author, Kang Chan-wook:
An advertiser and writer. Starting his career as a copywriter at Cheil Worldwide, he currently serves as the CEO of the video production company 'The View of the Era' (Sidae-ui Siseon). A golf enthusiast, he obtained a USGTF teaching pro certification and, out of his love for writing, has authored golf books including 'The Joy of Golf', 'Bad Golf', 'Sincere Golf', and 'Golf Thoughts, Thinking Golf'. He runs the YouTube channel 'Bad Golf', sharing various stories and thoughts surrounding golf with readers and viewers.